Now I Have To READ??

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERSHIP IS HARD ENOUGH.

Now I have to read???

Who has time to read a book while running a small business? Not most of us, but it is an important and easy way to work ON your business. You can do this in the bathtub, at night (a great excuse to stop doomscrolling!). on the treadmill... on the beach!

Here are 7 of our favorite books relating to small business ownership. You may be surprised by some.

Zombie Loyalist by Peter Shankman.

If you have mer Kelly M, you know about Zombie Loyalism. If you ask. any of her employees, they should be able to tell you what it means, why it is important, and how to integrate it into their jobs.

How is a zombie created? It is bitten. Then what happens? It spreads the contagion. Go bite those zombies! How? Use BRAINS... Bring Random. Amazement Into Normal Situations, and the zombies will work for you they will bring friends, share stories, promate your work, and continue to support you. Zombie Loyalism should be the forefront in every small business training program. It's a no-brainer.

Start With Why by Simon Sinek.

This book reminds us why we started our businesses. Simon explains the golden circle, with the target being WHY, the next ring being HOW, and the third ring being WHAT People don't continue to purchase your product, for just the product. but because of YOU and what you believe in. WHY do you do this work. It is a great book to remind you of the beginning, to inspire you to keep improving, and to empower you to do the work for you as much as the customer. There is a reason that this book remains a top seller for business books. Check it out for yourself! And follow Simon on social for daily inspiration.

Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell.

Learn from the best? Yes, please! A quick read is broken into 10 golden steps that the most famous businesses in the world uses to continue to create magic. Use this as another book to inspire you to be a better leader, to maintain your integrity, and to inspire the people around you.

Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. A book to make you think differently about what you are doing. Everything has a tipping point-the moment that it goes viral (yes, just like a pandemic or the internet) and it will make ke you think about how you can find those moments in your business. Ideas that become movements. Products that find the perfect speaker. How to make yourself be the one that is heard among the masses.

This book brings the focus back out-how will you tip your business? Do you WANT to tip your business to the next level!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Do you have a book you return to again and again? This is the one for Kelly M. On average, Kelly reads this book once a year to remind herself that it is the journey, which often veers and shifts along the way, that will take you where you need to be in the end. This book has nothing to to do with business, but we are all in business ownership for the end goal-the shiny diamond, the freedom, the control, the creativity. When we are stuck scrubbing toilets, it is easy to forget the end goal and feel stuck. But that diamond WILL shine in the distance again, helping to refocus our energy and drive.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.

Vulnerability, kindness, and hope. We all need a few minutes of this in our life to recenter ourselves. Super easy read and takes no time at all. Small business ownership can feel like the most vulnerable path ever-but that does not mean it is a bad thing, Put your phone down, grab some coffee or tea and a comfy seat, and get your head right. Then surround. yourself with people that make you feel like this book.

Dirt Candy: A Cookbook by Amanda Cohen. For the restaurant people in this group, this is not just a cookbook. but the story of the start and struggles of a new restaurant- in comic form! Enjoyable, too relatable, and great recipes to boot.

Don't forget, it is 2025. You can find these in audio form, and probably in podcast form. Tell us your favorite books at bossyroc@gmail.com or tag us @bossyroc

Kelly & Kelly